PLANNING AUTHORISATION FOR DEPLOYMENT OF SOLAR FARMS ON LAND OWNED BY THE STATE AND STATUTORY BOARDS

Circular No : URA/PB/2025/08-DCG

Our Ref : DC/ADMIN/CIRCULAR/PB_25

CIRCULAR TO PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTES

Who Should Know:
Qualified Persons, Professional Engineers, Solar Developers

Effective Date:
With immediate effect

Background

1. Currently, the deployment of solar panels over vacant plots of land requires the Urban Redevelopment Authority’s (URA’s) planning permission to use the entire site for a solar farm. Such proposals also usually involve additional gross floor area (GFA) in the form of ancillary buildings to support the use (e.g. substation for grid connection).

Planning authorisation for solar farms on government-owned land

2. In support of the national drive towards environmental sustainability, URA will streamline the regulatory process for the industry by authorising the deployment of solar farms on vacant State and Statutory Board land (including waterbodies, such as reservoirs). URA’s authorisation will include the erection of any ancillary buildings, such as substations and equipment sheds. This is on the basis that respective agencies, as landlords would have already done prior assessment on the solar farm use in consultation with URA.

3. Applicants who wish to deploy solar farms on State and Statutory Board land will no longer need to apply for planning permission from URA, subject to the following conditions:

   1. Applicant has obtained prior consent from the agency as landlord;

   2. Compliance with planning parameters (e.g. allowable GFA) set out in the tender conditions or lease / tenancy agreement with the landowner agency;

   3. Compliance with prevailing Development Control guidelines¹ (e.g. building setback from site boundaries);

   4. The validity of the authorisation shall be pegged to the allowable tenure as set out in the lease / tenancy agreement / licence with the landowner agency.

4. URA’s planning permission will continue to be required for solar farms proposed on private land. 

Implementation

5. The authorisation scheme outlined in paragraphs 2 & 3 will take immediate effect.

6. I would appreciate if you could convey the contents of this circular to the relevant members of your organisation. For feedback or enquiries, please email ↗ (opens in new tab) us.

Thank You.

GOH CHIN CHIN (MS)
GROUP DIRECTOR
DEVELOPMENT CONTROL GROUP
URBAN REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

^{1 Refer to the Development Control Handbooks on the URA website}